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Yes, we have a drought. And yes, we have cut our water use (and our water bill) quite a bit. But the Farm is still green…with splashes of color. And we are very, very grateful for the sprinkles of spring rain that keep coming. But if we don’t get more rain this winter, things may not be so green next year.

Meanwhile, we have plenty of herbs, raspberries (so good we just eat them in the field), strawberries, blueberries, cabbage and a forest of kale. Our Meyer lemon supply seems limitless and we even have a few Eurekas. Lots of lemon-based cocktails this summer….and this spring.

Sadly, it didn’t get cold enough this winter for many of our stone fruit trees. No cold in winter, no fruit in summer. We may get a few peaches, but no cherries. Such is life. Happily, the farmers markets are teeming with early cherries and peaches. Seems that it did get cold enough in the Central Valley.

Looking ahead we have tomatoes, spinach, squash and zucchini, eggplant, beans and collard greens on the way. Nothing goes with summer barbecue like collards. Can’t wait for summer…

How do you know when you have officially become a cocktail geek? (Besides, you know…blogging about them.) Well, there are a few signs; multiple bottles of bitters, obsession with vintage glassware, too much gin and very little vodka, rum from at least 6 different Caribbean countries and the obligatory bottle(s) of absinthe are all reliable signs. Throw in some Falernum and Fernet and it is pretty clear that you, my friend, are a cocktail geek.

But there is another major sign that you have gone over to the dark side (and, let’s face it, some of us enjoy it over here). Vermouth. If you have multiple bottles of vermouth and they are (hopefully) in the fridge, then you are probably a cocktail geek. And if you actually mix, match and test different recipes with different vermouth, then you are definitely a cocktail geek. Welcome.

But even if you aren’t a cocktail geek (yet) we do suggest that all educated drinkers keep a good bottle each of sweet and dry vermouth. Keep them in the fridge, and use them often. Each brand has its charms and we suggest you experiment. And beyond the basic Martini and Manhattan, there are many experiments worth trying. We suggest the Fourth Degree be one of your first experiments.

We will forgo some of the history (the drink, with differing recipes, is found in the Savoy and Imbibe!), but the Fourth Degree is a classic from the “golden age” of pre-prohibition cocktails. It lands somewhere between the Martinez (the proto-Martini) and the classic “wet” Martini. Not surprisingly, it uses gin and vermouth. But in this case, equal amounts of gin and both sweet and dry vermouth- along with a dash of absinthe and a lemon twist.

Now you may say “meh”, but we suggest you try the Fourth Degree before you judge it. The drink is a bit sweet, but the flavors are deep, multi-layered and complex. You will get herbal and anise notes, but also surprising hints of fruit, chocolate and almond. The aroma of herbs and lemon peel is just as delightful. And, due to the large proportion of vermouth, the drink isn’t too strong. Go ahead and have another…

The Fourth Degree is also a recipe that welcomes experimentation. Many have made the drink dryer with a larger proportion of gin, and that is very good. You can also play with the vermouth. Changing the sweet vermouth from M&R to Carpano Antica to Dolin to Vya will make for a substantially different drink. As will changes with the dry vermouth (we like Dolin and Vya here). But, of course, to truly experiment you need to collect a bunch of vermouth….hmmm….see what we mean?

The Fourth Degree Cocktail:

Ingredients:

3/4 oz. dry gin

3/4 oz. dry vermouth

3/4 oz. sweet vermouth

4 dashes (1 tsp.) absinthe

Lemon twist

Assemble:

Add all the liquid ingredients to a cocktail glass with ice and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass or coupé. Garnish with the lemon twist. Serve.

The Putney Farm crew recently returned from a delightful trip to Kauai. All good, nothing to complain about…but, maybe…um…there was one little thing. And it has to do with the classic Tiki drink, the Mai Tai.

You see, the problem was that while we were served a number of “Mai-Tais” on the trip, the only real Mai Tai we had was at home (of course we stocked a decent bar in Kauai!). Not to say there was anything wrong with the many fruity-dark rum floater-bamboo cup-multiple garnish catastrophes “creations” we drank. Hey, its rum, lime, pineapple and a bunch of other stuff- how bad can it be? And usually it isn’t all that bad. However…

A real Mai Tai, made with the right ingredients and in the right way, is just so much better. There is a reason everyone thinks “tiki” when they hear the word Mai Tai, it is a damn fine drink. Sweet, tart, funky with a nutty “I-know-not-what” at the finish, the Mai Tai is a perfect example of what makes cocktails so special. It is way more than the sum of its parts.

So what about those “parts”? The other good thing about the Mai Tai is that the only truly esoteric ingredient is Orgeat (pronounced or-zhay) syrup, basically almond (and sometime apricot kernels) flavored syrup with some orange flower water. You can find Orgeat in many liquor stores or make your own. We have done both. Here is a well-known recipe to make it yourself. Small Hands makes a natural version that is very tasty, but the artificially (gasp!) flavored versions from Trader Vic and Fees taste just fine.

Otherwise you need just a few other ingredients; fresh lime juice, triple sec, sugar syrup, a light grassy rum (rhum agricole is good), a dark funky rum, a sprig of mint and some crushed ice…..and a few extra minutes to make the drink.

As for the rum, experts like Beachbum Berry and Rumdood all suggest an equal combination of Appleton 12 year (for the dark, funky notes) and Rhum Clement VSOP (aged, but still bright and a bit grassy) as the “standard”. And we agree. But we also like to play around and find other dark rums like El Dorado 8, 12 and 15 are all good (inexpensive) subs for the Appleton 12. We also think you can sub rhum Barbancourt (3 or 5 star) for the Clement, if the Clement is hard to find.

Triple sec? We like Cointreau, but many suggest Clement Creole Shrub. Use what you like. Crushed ice? Trust us, it looks better and dilutes the drink properly. Mint Spring? Adds a bright note to the aroma of the drink, and it looks good. So does the lime shell. Got it? Good!

Finally, one note on the history of the Mai Tai. While cocktail geeks historians quibble about the details, Trader Vic Bergeron made this version of the drink famous (even if Don the beachcomber made something else with the same name earlier). And Vic was a Bay Area guy, so we will stick with our man and tip our caps to Vic for this delightful sip. Now go make one before the summer is over!

The Mai Tai:

Ingredients:

1 oz. dark(er), funky rum (Appleton 12 or El Dorado 8, 12, 15)

1 oz. light(er) rum (Clement VSOP, rhum Barbancourt)

3/4 oz. lime juice

1/2 oz. orgeat syrup

1/2 oz. triple sec

1/4 oz. simple syrup

Mint sprig, for garnish

Assemble:

Using a blender, ice crusher or lewis bag, crush a bunch of ice.

Add all the liquid ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice. Reserve the lime shell. Shake until well chilled.

In a lowball glass, add the crushed ice and the lime shell. Stain the cocktail into the glass and garnish with the mint spring. Enjoy. Repeat.

….please forgive the obscure Game of Thrones reference (think House Tyrell). But our garden is growing strong, indeed. The hot and dry winter left us without cherries (not enough chill hours) and with withered greens. But our spring onions and potatoes were a delight and the blueberries and strawberries are simply amazing…and plentiful. No complaints.

It is our tomatoes that are truly growing strong, we practically have a tomato thicket. Frankly, we can’t wait. And along with tomatoes, our other warm weather plants like the eggplant, peppers and raspberries all look like they will have a very good summer. That means we will have a good summer.

Oh, and don’t even get us started on the apples, peaches and figs. They look good so far and we hope we can keep the varmints off them until late summer. It is a 50/50 shot at best…but hope springs eternal.Continue reading →

Ah, summer. You can feel it coming (here in Norcal, it barely left). But for the rest of the country, we gather that this summer will be particularly welcome. Now, we all know that summer isn’t “official” until the solstice, but around here (and hopefully where you are) summer starts on Memorial Day. And Memorial Day is “opening day” on the farm for weekend barbecue, big pitchers of punches and highballs and lots of dessert. So here are a few links to recipes we think you may want to try this weekend and into the summer (and don’t worry, they are well-tested).

Our favorite summer meals almost all include real, low-and-slow barbecue (we also like steamer clams and lobster rolls, but those are for another post). And our favorite for Memorial Day remains Pulled Pork. We post a link to this recipe every Memorial Day for a reason, it rocks. Pulled pork is inexpensive, easy, feeds an army and tastes great. The only thing you need is time. For the best results you need to plan ahead a day or two- so get started!

If you are worried about time, then Memphis-Style Ribs are the way to go. These ribs still benefit from a little extra prep time, but they are easily a one day meal. And, sooooo good. Trust us, make extra.

Finally, if beef is your thing, then Franklin Style Brisket is a real treat. Again, you get a great dish for a crowd, you just need to take the time to do it right. (We jumped the gun on summer and made this last weekend for some good friends, and it is still one of the best things going).

If you happen to imbibe (and we hope you do), summer is the best time for easy punches or highballs. These are drinks that keep you and your guests outside, and not inside mixing drinks all the time. Our favorite summer punch is the Nouvelle Fleur, a sparkling tequila, citrus, St. Germain and Aperol concoction. This drink packs big, thirst-quenching flavors, but is relatively low-strength. Great for sipping.

If you want an easy punch, but with more, umm… “punch”, then we suggest the Lani Honi. This is a simple mix of white rum, lemon and Benedictine. But even with just three ingredients, the flavors are full and complex. Good stuff and easy to mix in a pitcher.

Well, winter never really made it here to Norcal, but there is nothing better on a foggy, rainy and/or chilly day than a bowl of polenta. And since we get plenty of fog, even in summer, polenta is a popular choice here at the farm. So popular, we didn’t think of it as something for the blog. But since Judy Rodgers passed, we think a lot about her and her polenta recipe. So we figured we would share.

The key to making polenta (cornmeal mush) is that it just isn’t all that hard. You don’t need any special technique and you don’t need to stir every second. You just need to be mindful and take your time. You will hear all sorts of polenta making B.S. “advice” about stirring every second and how you drizzle the cornmeal, etc. Forget all that. Rodgers has you cook the polenta at low heat in a heavy-bottom pot, stir every few minutes to avoid scorching and hold in a double boiler to improve texture and allow quick service. And it works. We play frisbee and basketball with the kids while making this dish. We just duck in the kitchen every 5 minutes, give the pot a stir and then it is back to fun outside….nice.

The only real “challenge” here is how to add flavor to the polenta. Just butter and seasoning makes for a way better dish than you might expect. Parmesan and/or mascarpone cheese are common additions, and how Rodgers served it at Zuni. But we like to go a bit further and make polenta into a 1-dish meal. We like stirring in the parmesan, adding a soft-boiled egg, crumbled bacon and then topping with a bright salad of parsley or celery greens. Other good additions are braised greens, prosciutto, sautéed mushrooms, tomato jam and braised short ribs (yum).